Nathan Fielder’s 5 Best Pranks

With his series Nathan For You and the viral stunts he’s sprung on unsuspecting people, Nathan Fielder has become the new face of so awkward-they’re-funny pranks. With Nathan set to stop by the Comedy Bang! Bang! couch this week, we thought we’d highlight five of the most brilliant pranks this master of deadpan has ever pulled. He must have gotten really good grades at one of Canada’s top business schools to pull some of these off.

5. Tweet Anarchy

Abso Lutely Productions

Fielder’s pranks aren’t confined to his show. Having made a name for himself on Comedy Central, he decided a couple of years ago to see what kind of influence he really had on his audience. That’s how he ended up sending out a tweet stating, “Experiment: text your parents ‘got 2 grams for $40’ then right after ‘Sorry ignore that txt. Not for you’ Then tweet pic of their response,” and let the good times roll. And roll they did…

4. Price Matching

Fielder is a master at coming up with ridiculously ingenious plans, and then convincing small business owners to go along with them. Here, he decides to use Best Buy’s price matching policy against them by offering high-end televisions for $1, then using the price match to gobble up inventory at a bargain basement price. If the plan worked, his mom-and-pop electronics store client could sell the TVs for full value and make a huge profit. The only problem? Fielder needed to keep customers from buying up the $1 TVs for the one day they were available. How did he accomplish this, you may ask? By building a secret room, with only a tiny door, and then putting a live alligator inside of it, to protect the TVs at all cost.

3. Dumb Starbucks

In what is easily his post famous prank, Fielder built an exact replica of a Starbucks franchise, but put the word “dumb” in front of everything, thus avoiding any copyright infringement since his “mock-bucks” could be considered a parody. Following the weaving tapestry of confused lawyers, unsatisfied customers and employees who he almost certainly was sexually harassing, this is Fielder at his very best.

2. Daddy’s Watching

As Fielder explains in this prank, women don’t sign up for dating sites because they are pretty sure they are going to get murdered. That’s where his dating site, “Daddy’s Watching,” comes in. The concept is simple: Hire a creepy guy to stalk their date, and make sure the women are always taken care of. If they ever feel threatened, they simply have to yell out, “Daddy, Daddy come over now, save my life, you made a vow.” So, nothing could ever go wrong there.

1. Gas Station Rebate

When a local gas station hit hard times, Fielder decided to use a rebate to lure customers in. But, considering the station didn’t have a dime to spare, he knew he had to make claiming the rebate a little more challenging. The solution? The customers would have to drop it off in person at the top of a mountain. What he didn’t expect was that some customers would actually be willing to do this. That’s how an overnight scavenger hunt, full of riddles and cathartic campfire conversations, came about. By turning one of his most ridiculous ideas into a heartwarming look at the lengths lonely people will go to connect, this became one of his very best pranks.

Advertisement

Videos

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Catch up on Portlandia’s final episodes on demand and at IFC.com

Advertisement

Videos

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.